I'm finally back at work after 2 weeks of rest at home. Managed to attend to most of the outstanding matters related to my bike accident.

The Traffic Police's letter to collect my bike from its compound somehow didn't reach me after waiting for 10 days but I managed to get a softcopy via email on the 11th day from the investigation officer assigned to my case. If you fail to collect your bike within 2 weeks, you'll have to pay $20 per day of storage! Ouch!

My workshop towed my bike on the same day when I got the letter. Inspected the bike the next day and saw the damage to the fairing (right side), front mud guard and some minor dents here and there. The repairs only took 3 days and I was charged $674 which included a new OEM front brake. Bike looks even better now especially after removing the stock stickers. Very happy to be able to ride my CBR again.

Also had my bandages removed and my doctor said that I can use my arm as per normal but advised me from doing anything strenuous for the next 6 months. The photo of my surgery scar looks nasty and I've been showing off to my colleagues to save me from lengthy explanations.

Lastly, met up with my insurance agent, who has been serving me for 20 years. Helped me completed the claim forms and it only took Great Eastern to reimburse Raffles Hospital in less than a week! Now waiting for the hospital to issue me a Final Bill and refund me back the 80% claimable amount that I had to pay upfront. I will then have to complete another set of forms to claim at least another 10-15% of the balance from my 2nd insurance coverage. Payment by Medishield Life was a miserable $1200. So do yourself a favour and get a private medical insurance... I later discovered that a colleague (S'pore PR) of mine had a similar injury last year from a bicycle accident. His total bill from NUH was only paid $5,000+ which was fully covered by his insurance. I was really puzzled by the big disparity when compared to my $26,000 bill. The main difference was that he had to wear a sling for 2 months after surgery while I was able to use my arm immediately after surgery. I guessed my operation was super high standard... oh well... no complaints.

Contacted my reservist unit that I would not be able to do my annual shoot and IPPT this year. They told me that I will be exempted from such activities but still do my reservist in August doing admin work... how nice... Will post a pic of my CBR later.

I am sad to report that I had experienced my first motorcycle accident about two weeks ago. Ironically, it happened along a stretch of road devoid of traffic as I wanted to avoid just that, traffic... I was riding my Honda CBR150R at around 50km/hr and was approaching a sharp S-bend... upon exiting the S-bend, managed to reduced speed to about 30km/hr but my bike was already too close to the grass curb on the left. My bike touched the wet grass and I instantly skidded to the ground on my right side.

Thankfully, I only skidded for about 3-5 metres due the slow speed but the fall was very hard and my right shoulder took the full brunt of the impact. As I came around, I felt a sharp pain on my right collarbone and realised that it could be a fracture. I also felt bruised around my hip area too but I was able to slowly stand up. There was no other visible injury as I was well covered in my riding gear - gloves, mesh jacket, riding shoes and full-frame helmet. Had I worn my riding pants, my hips would not have been bruised.

A good samaritan stopped his vehicle and helped me raise my bike up. He was about to give me a lift to the nearest hospital but the pain around my shoulders was excruciating when I was about to sit in his van. The driver was concerned that I could have suffered other injuries and urged that I call an ambulance-which I did. A short while later, I was transported to Tan Tock Seng Hospital. I later discovered that some riders would not call an ambulance as Traffic Police may fine the rider ($+demerit points). Well, considering the pain I was in and the "ulu-ness" of the accident location, calling for an ambulance was a good move.

Looking back, I was not really surprised about the accident, considering the location and timing of the accident. I shall not talk too much about it other than to continue advocating the importance of riding with proper gear as falling off a motorcycle is almost a certainty in Singapore. Had it not for the paddings on my mesh jacket, I would have suffered worse injuries. Damage to my bike was minimal but that was the least of my concerns.

Let me share a bit more on what happened AFTER i was transported to the hospital.

TAN TOCK SENG HOSPITAL (TTSH)

My experience at TTSH gave me a first hand experience of Singapore's so-called first class health system. If you want to skip my long story, I can give you one quick summary... you will only be given priority in a Government hospital if they think you are dying...

The hospital's A&E area was packed with patients and I wondered if their illness were serious enough for them to be there in the first place. Most of them were calmly lying on the beds while I was the only one reeling in pain. But I'd gave them the benefit of doubt as they may be seriously ill. After 2 hours upon arriving at TTSH, the A&E doctor showed my x-rays and confirmed that my right clavicle was fractured. As I was in a lot of pain when I moved around, I requested to be warded so I could see a specialist and get immediate treatment.

The doctor then told me that there was a severe bed crunch with a 32 HOURS wait for a bed! Even if I could get one, the orthopedic could only see me 4-5 days later. To my disbelief, the doctor advised me to go home and come back the following week. I found it hard to believe there were that many very sick patients or those with a pain level of 10. I asked the doctor of my other options and she couldn't give me one. As I have private medical insurance (PMI) with Great Eastern, I asked if I could be transferred to a private hospital. The Doctor told me the situation at private hospitals could be the same and discouraged me to go that route. I thought "Bullshit" and true enough after calling a few private hospitals, there were beds available. I requested to be discharged so I could go over to a private hospital --- on my own...

Total cost at TTSH = about $300 (with 7 copies of x-rays so I don't have to go through x-ray again)

I'm not going to give a bad review of TTSH. The hard working doctors and nurses are working at over-capacity. If you can afford it, go private, if you can't, pray that your illness is not so serious. Check out the link of how bad the bed situation is in Singapore: https://www.ttsh.com.sg/page.aspx?id=6105

RAFFLES HOSPITAL

4 hours after the accident, with a heavy dose of pain killers, I got discharged and took a cab to Raffles Hospital. Here's a timeline of my experience at Raffles Hospital:

Amazing right!!!??? I got treated and was home within 36 hours! The service at Raffles Hospital was top notch. Prompt service, close monitoring, yummy meals...

But wait!!! What's the cost like?

My medical bill came to a staggering S$26,000($30,000 after my last treatment in Oct. 99% reimbursed)!!! All paid upfront! Apparently, that's how medical insurance works in Singapore's private hospitals. Pay first, claim later... (afternote: some insurer will cover the deposit so know your plan well).

Thank God for the two hospitalisation plans that I took up 10 years ago... I hope to be able to claim at least 80% of the total costs.

So folks, even if you are not riding a motorcycle, it pays to have health or hospitalisation insurance, preferably one that covers private hospitals, as the bed crunch in government hospitals is real (ps: I'm not an insurance agent). It's really a sad situation whereby having $$$ really makes a whole world of difference in getting medical treatment. Mind you, I'm not a rich person, just one who has been saving a lot over the years...

The Medishield Life that our government has been pushing for the past few years is practically worthless as you can't secure a bed or get immediate treatment unless you are really dying... If not for my private health insurance, I would have to suffer for weeks. If I had little savings, I would be forced to take the non-surgery option, requiring me to be in a sling for 4-6 months... some people could be out of job if that happened... sigh... to my bikers readers, make sure you get a decent medical coverage. It's $30-$60 per month and should be the first type of insurance you should get before thinking about Life or investment-type of insurances. As my wise friend once said to me, $$$ can be earned back. Life cannot...